Manners
by infraredphaeton
Summary: and here Sanzo was, sitting at a table with woman he had been brought up to respect, desperately trying to remember which fork he was supposed to use for the salad. Sanzo can be polite. He just chooses not to be.


MANNERS

Category: Saiyuki

Author: infraredphaeton

Title: Manners

Summary: and here he was, sitting at a table with woman he had been brought up to respect, desperately trying to remember which fork he was supposed to use for the salad.

Sanzo could be perfectly polite when the situation called for it.

Needless to say, he was only polite to those he gave his utmost respect to as well. Needless to say, he had not been polite since his master died. Still, he could be polite, pull off small talk, say please and thank you, stop swearing and smoking from longer than five minutes, and generally curb his violent tendancies for as long as the situation required.

This was not often required, and he had felt immensely relieved that he had yet to show his polite side in front of his traveling companions, as it only helped build up the intimidating façade he used on them. Very useful, this sense of 'polite' his master had instilled in him, to only give respect to those worthy of it. And why be polite to those not worthy of respect?

His companions had probably not realized how much he had mellowed towards them as the journey continued, and they earned his respect. As they did not realize, his secret was safe.

Or had been safe. And now, he was sitting at a table with a woman he had been brought up to fear and respect since childhood, desperately clawing down a nicotine itch, and trying to remember which fork he was supposed to use for the salad.

Gojyo snickered.

And trying to restrain the urge to shoot his companions.

Can't forget that.

Sanzo picked up the outmost fork, frowning at his plate slightly, as though he wished it would reveal the secret of life. Or perhaps the secret behind the cutlery. Right now, he would prefer the knowledge of his long forgotten etiquette lessons to enlightenment.

"So, Kor-oh! It's Sanzo now, isn't it? Well Sanzo, how have you been? It's been so long since I last saw you!" The woman smiled, frowning at the wayward priest's fork. Sanzo put it down hastily and picked up the next. When she nodded, he practically sighed in relief, and nodded gratefully to Hakkai when the green haired youkai 'accidentally' elbowed Gojyo, still snickering, in the side.

She turned to Goku, old blue eyes misting over in remembrance.

"Oh, I remember when Sanzo here- back when he was still Kouryuu- and he was only up to my knee. He was such a sweet child, and he and Komyou would visit at least once a year, to keep an old woman company." She sighed, turning back towards Sanzo. "And now, it's been so long, years and years and you've grown so much, Sanzo! And to think I wouldn't have seen you for another twelve years if I hadn't been visiting my cousin!"

Goku sniggered, and Hakkai's other elbow 'accidentally' slipped. Sanzo nodded to him, and he smiled back enigmatically.

"It is a shame, Auntie." Sanzo replied, smiling kindly. From the corner of his eye, he saw Gojyo choke on his carrot stick. Sanzo's smile widened more, this time with malicious joy.

"Of course it has been! Now, tell Auntie about these friends of yours, and pass the salad bowl please."

She reached out a trembling hand, and Sanzo slid back his chair and walked over to serve her.

"Oh, really, Sanzo, you don't have to-"

"It's my pleasure, Auntie. An older woman like you shouldn't have to serve herself."

"That's my Sanzo," she patted his cheek with a beringed, wrinkled hand, "Always so courteous, and kind."

Sanzo smiled again, and saw Goku go down next to Gojyo at the word 'courteous'.

"Now, Sanzo, your friends?"  
"They're more like traveling companions, really, Auntie."

Auntie frowned. "Really? How long have you been on the road?"

"About a year and a half, ma'am," Hakkai answered smoothly, patting Gojyo on the back to help stop his choking.

"A year and a half?" She turned back to Sanzo, "A year and a half, and you don't consider them friends?"

"Ah…Well, we're very close traveling companions?" Sanzo offered, shrinking under her disapproving gaze.

"Shame on you! I thought Komyou had raised you better! To travel for over a year with such a kind and polite man, and not be friends? To travel with such a charming little boy, and not be friends? To travel with such a-" she paused as her gaze swept past Goku and Hakkai to Gojyo, now blue in the face as he tried to cough up the piece of carrot, "a-a…" she thought furiously, "friendly man, and not be friends?"

"Well, Auntie…"

She glared, and the great Genjyo Sanzo slunk down in his seat like a scolded child.

Hakkai gave a light laugh, drawing Auntie's wrath off the blond man.

"Oh, Sanzo is just kidding. He's quite shy in that concern, doesn't like to boast about his friendships." The brown haired man lied, tilting his head on one side with a smile.

"…Boast about his friendships?" Auntie's wrinkled forehead crinkled some more, before her blue eyes grew clear and she smiled at Sanzo once more. "You're so modest, Sanzo…It's okay to be popular…I bet you have lots of friends!"

Gojyo, who had recovered from the carrot, went on to choke on an olive. Hakkai thumped him on the back good naturedly, and the stoned vegetable went flying across the table.

It landed on the candelabra, and Sanzo's eyes widened in fear as Auntie noticed it.

Auntie's gaze narrowed at the olive, and she turned to Gojyo, who was gasping for air.

"What's your name, young man?"

"Gojyo. Sha Gojyo." He answered under the old woman's intimidating gaze.

"And how old are you?"

"Uh…Twenty four?" he replied fearfully.

"Why are you asking me? Don't you know your own age?" Auntie glared.

"Auntie?"

She turned her piercing gaze on Sanzo, "Don't you interfere, my boy, or I'll have a talk with you later."

At the word 'talk', Sanzo turned sheet pale and went back to examining the cutlery and his salad, twiddling his fork as he ate the croutons one at a time, completely ignoring the byplay between Gojyo and Auntie.

"So, Mr. Sha-"

"Uh…you can call me Gojyo…"

"Don't interrupt! What were you born in a fucking barn?" Auntie glared, pulling a filigree cigar case from her robe. She tapped out a cigarillo and lit it, putting it in a long ivory holder and taking a puff. Sweet smelling, cloying purple smoke began to fill the dining room.

The glare she leveled on Gojyo looked just as scary as one of Sanzo's finest.

"S-Sorry?" there was something about this woman that was just scary. Gojyo darted a look at Sanzo, now occupied with what seemed to be a particularly interesting cucumber. In any case, the blonde priest was staring at it intently. Goku was busy eating the feast they'd been ushered into when Auntie had recognized Sanzo, and Hakkai was giving him an admonishing 'you-deserve-this' stare.

"You fucking well should be, you brat. Kids these days, they're all so damn rude." Auntie's sharp gaze rested on Sanzo for a minute, and the monk looked up through his bangs with wide eyes.

"Except my Sanzo of course, he was raised better than that, right Sanzo?"

Sanzo nodded furiously, forking another piece of carrot and nibbling on it.

"But you, Goyjo, you have a fucking attitude problem. What kind of retard goes around spitting olives at a stranger's centerpiece, huh?"

Gojyo just sat there, withstanding the hail of insults, derogatory comments and accented stabs with the cigar holder, and saw the resemblance between the monk and his 'Auntie'.

"_I'm hungry!" Goku whined, blinking as he looked at the sunset in front of the moving jeep._

"_You're always hungry, do you have two freaking stomachs or something?"_

"_I'm not a cow!"_

"_That's right, you're a stupid monkey!"_

_Sanzo turned around and hit them with his paper fan, turning back towards the roadafter a few curses and threats._

_Hakkai did his 'now, now,' speech. Pretty normal end to a day, really, until they'd come across an older woman sitting on a porch outside a large house. Sanzo, gaze wandering, shoved his hand in front of Hakkai as he saw her._

"_Stop the jeep!" he commanded, and the green eyed demon pulled up hastily. Sanzo removed his hand and vaulted over the door, completely ignoring the door in favour of a more speedy exit._

"_Aunty?"_

_The old woman looked up. Her hair was steely grey, pulled back into a bun, and her weather beaten tanned face had a gleaming white smile, and piercing blue eyes. She had the sort of figure that suggested she had once been beautiful, with a fast metabolism, and as it had slowed down, she had been unable to slow down her food intake along with it._

"_Koryou?" She rose up on shaky feet, one hand on a stout black walking stick._

"_Aunty? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back Eastwards?"_

_Aunty shrugged, and hobbled a few steps to hug him shakily._

"_Well, it's been a long time, Koryou. Come inside and have some dinner. You'll have to stay for tonight."_

"_I couldn't impose," Sanzo denied, smiling as he held up one hand._

"_You aren't imposing, my boy. You look so much like Komyou now, it's amazing."_

_Sanzo blushed slightly, rubbing the back of his head with a cloth covered hand._

"_Not really, Auntie."_

"_I would swear you were blood relatives, the way you look so similar."_

"_Not really, Auntie,"_

"_And if you were blood relatives, I really would be your Auntie!" she laughed, before finally noticing the jeepful of demons Sanzo had emerged from._

"…_I suppose so, Auntie, but, since Master passed away, I'm technically Sanzo now."_

_The old woman's expression saddened, "True. I suppose I need to call you Sanzo then, too."_

"_Uh…"_

"_Mhm…A Sanzo so young, I'm very proud of you!" She hugged him again, and he turned a brighter shade of red. "Now, you and your friends come in and sit down and have dinner with me, and keep an old woman company. You're staying the night, and that's final! No arguments, Sanzo!"_

"_Alright." Sanzo turned back to the staring men._

"_You heard the woman! Move your asses!"_

_As they walked the halls, it turned out that 'Auntie' was actually Sanzo's Master's great Aunt, over ninety and still going strong._

Yeah. Gojyo looked from the daunted Sanzo fiddling with his salad to the incredibly scary woman in front of him. He could definitely see the resemblance.

"-And for another thing-hey, fucktard, pay attention when I'm talking to you!"

END

a/n: review please!


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